July 30, 2025 • 23 mins
On this week’s OPPOSITION TERRITORY pod, we’re diving into the Denver Broncos and what their coming 2025 season may look like. This is a team poised to take some big strides this year and build upon their playoff season from last year. This week, Lou Scataglia from Fansided’s Predominantly Orange.com joined us for a great discussion about the Broncos’ future!
Topics Lou and Jeff dove into:
- Will the Broncos end up shocking the football world this coming season?
- What can we expect QB Bo Nix to give this offense in terms of his growth and development?
- With a new running back room, how will the Broncos rushing attack look throughout the season?
- What are some of the key aspects of this defense that we need to keep our eyes on as the season starts?
All of this and much more during this week’s Opposition Territory show!
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Topics Lou and Jeff dove into:
- Will the Broncos end up shocking the football world this coming season?
- What can we expect QB Bo Nix to give this offense in terms of his growth and development?
- With a new running back room, how will the Broncos rushing attack look throughout the season?
- What are some of the key aspects of this defense that we need to keep our eyes on as the season starts?
All of this and much more during this week’s Opposition Territory show!
SUBSCRIBE on YouTube: youtube.com/@thephiladelphiasportstable
Head over to our website for all of our podcasts and more: philadelphiasportstable.com
Follow us on BlueSky:
Jeff: @jeffwarren.bsky.social
Erik: @brickpollitt.bsky.social
Follow us on Threads:
Jeff: @mrjeffwarren
Erik: @slen1023
The Show: @philadelphiasportstable
Follow us on Twitter/X:
Jeff: @Jeffrey_Warren
Erik: @BrickPollitt
The Show: @PhiladelphiaPST
Follow us on Instagram:
Jeff: @mrjeffwarren
Erik: @slen1023
The Show: @philadelphiasportstable.
Follow Jeff on TikTok: @mrjeffwarren
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/PhiladelphiaSportsTable
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Welcome to Opposition Territory here at the Philadelphia Sports Table
podcast show, the longest running weekly Philly sports podcast show
in the world, twelve years strong. We got a great
discussion coming your way here on Opposition Territory. This week,
we are diving into a team that I'm really looking
forward to talking about, looking forward to seeing what they
do this upcoming NFL season, the Denver Broncos. And we've
(00:46):
got with us from predominantly Orange. You know, we love
our fans sided sites here at the PST podcast show,
Louis Gatanglia. Man, buddy, it's great to have you on
for the first time. Thanks so much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Thank you, Jeff. I will never ever pass up a
time to talk about my beloved Bronc Ghosts, especially after
all the suffering I went through.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Dude, You've been for some suffering with this team over
the years. My gosh. But look, I think this is
a team that is on the rise here. You know,
I've been saying for a number of weeks now on
this podcast platform that I think the Denver Broncos could
be that quote sneaky team that's going to surprise the
football world this coming NFL season. Even though they made
(01:29):
the playoffs last year. I think this is a team
that can really surpass what they achieved last year. But
to do that, we got to take a look at
how this team has grown over the past year, some
of the talent that they've added on offense and defense.
They had a really nice draft, I thought, in my opinion. Here,
so let's kind of get into some reflections on this
(01:49):
offseason before we start talking about what we'll see this
upcoming season. Here, lou, do you think the Broncos can
and will shock some folks this coming season? How and why?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah? So, I think the NFL world was definitely underrating
us last year. You could pull up roster power rankings.
We're a thirty first and thirty second, and I remember
last year. It was a distinct time. Last offseason I
looked at this roster and I said, this roster is
really good. Yeah, and I kind of likened it to
what Houston did in twenty twenty three. Now, I wasn't
(02:22):
like over the moon high on the Broncos. My personal
prediction was we'd go nine to eight, miss the playoffs.
But I knew we would be better than people thought
because we were strong of the trenches, which is extremely important.
And we had a quarterback that Sean Payton won. And
the three most important things for a winning NFL team
is the quarterback, Yeah, protecting the quarterback and getting to
the quarterback. And I'm like, well, we have all three
(02:44):
of those things. So we were better than people thought.
And every year in the NFL there's usually one or
two teams that kind of surprises. A couple of years ago,
remember it was the Jags and Giants making those playoff runs,
and then it was Houston, and then it was US
in Washington. But you look get where Sean Payton has
invested since he's been here the trenches. You look at
(03:04):
some of the draft picks panning out like Mimes and
Benito and bo Immediately. This was a team that kind
of arrived onto the scene maybe a year early. And
the large, the large NFL opinion of the Broncos last
year was just way too low and it was kind
of wrong. Now all of a sudden, after a good year,
(03:26):
you know, everyone's speaking highly about the Broncos. They have
the sixth Beth roster. Bo Nix is going to make
a leap. This is just kind of like people course
correcting and realizing, oh crap, the Broncos are actually better
than we think. But I look at the roster, I
don't see a notable weakness, and I also see a
quarterback on the rise. So I'm again cautiously optimistic. I'm
(03:47):
not ready to say that we're going to make the
super Bowl, but making a playoff run, winning a game
or two is absolutely on the table.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Yeah. I think that is a great way to analyze
the hopes the thought process of Broncos fans and even
NFL fans looking at this team heading into this season.
But you mentioned bo Knicks, and we have to talk
about him, talk about his development and his growth and
how he is going to progress this year under center.
(04:14):
I mean, I think one of the aspects of his game,
and I think it's a pretty big one, Lou, that
he really is going to need to improve on from
last year is his drop back abilities in the passing
game and also his intermediate throws. I mean, they were
often inconsistent too, and we are seeing that with certain
quarterbacks in the NFL, younger quarterbacks every now and again. Overall,
(04:35):
I mean, he was a really good quarterback last season.
In my opinion, I think he's poised to really take
those and make those developmental next step. So what are
you hoping to see from bow Knicks this season in
terms of that particular growth.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, So I think as the season went on last year,
he got a lot more comfortable in the pocket. In
the beginning of the year, his footwork was like sausa dancing.
He was dreadful in the pocket, but he was also
so good at avoiding sacks that it was kind of
like a double edged sword. But as the season went on,
he got a lot more comfortable in the pocket. The
drop back game really came to him. So next year
is really just kind of what you just said is
(05:09):
he needs to pick up where he left off at
the end of twenty twenty four. Become more comfortable in
the pocket, you know, get rid of the ball when
he needs to, don't hold onto the ball for too long,
don't run into pressure like Russell Wilson did for so long. Yes,
the accuracy and the intermediate passing game is going to come,
because that's kind of what Sean Payton's offense is built on, rhythm, timing,
(05:31):
intermediate passing. Obviously, a lot of those slant routes curl routes,
a lot of those short routes to get the ball
into the hands of the playmakers early. And then it's
really also about the running game. And I think we're
going to talk about here in a second, but for
Bo Nicks, it's really just like watching that tape from
like the final eight games of last he was just
on fire. He was actually on a believe it or not,
(05:52):
he was on a forty five touchdown pace over the
final eight games of twenty twenty four, which is ridiculous.
So it's really about watching that good tape. And Bo
even said, like the challenges are are the same, he's
just more you know, he's more seasoned. So it's about
attacking things now that he has a year under his belt,
focusing on the weaknesses. But there really isn't any reason
(06:14):
to believe why he can't make Elite because again, the
Broncos are stronger it matters than most. Yeah, and some
line is returning all five starters, and I know we're
going to talk about the weapons that he had it,
but it's really just about like like not messing up.
I mean, it's it's hard for me to envision that
the Broncos regress on offense just because of the linear
growth that we actually saw from Bow last year. So
(06:36):
I think we're going to see a way more complete
passing attack and that sort of first half of twenty
twenty four where he was kind of awful, I think
that's just that's gone and that's not the quarterback he
is anymore.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
It means he's coachable, quite frankly, and I think that's
that is something that's really important, I think for NFL fans.
And I know, you know, we really don't talk about
fantasy football too too much on this platform, but if
you're looking for a good fantasy quarterback in terms of development,
absolutely somebody who's coachable. That's Bo Nicks for sure. So
as we're moving along, you kind of teased, you know,
(07:09):
the rushing attack and what we may see from that
this season, Lou. I mean, I'm wondering what the Broncos
rushing attack is really going to look like right out
of the gate. It's something I'm going to be very
interested in following throughout this preseason. JK. Dobbins was brought in.
I love how they drafted RJ. Harvey out of UCF,
(07:30):
a fantastic running back in college, and look I don't
think a lot of folks realize that during JK. Dobbins's career, overall,
he's averaged five point two yards per carry. I think
that's like second in the league. I think at this point,
and last year the Broncos finished sixteenth in rushing. How
do you see this rushing attack really taking shape this
(07:51):
coming season?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Yeah? I think one hugely important thing to note right
off the bat is that the Broncos offensive line was
ranked number one in run blocking and pluck last year
according to ESPN, So the run game was really was
no fault of the offensive line. This run scheme. Zax
Streeve has done an outstanding job, and we're returning all
five starters from last year, which is really unheard of
(08:13):
in today's NFL. But yeah, I mean we had Javonte
Williams and Audrey Guestsaman and Julia McLoughlin as our primary backs.
Javonte Williams is an NFL player and I'm not, but
I mean he's stunk the past couple of years, Like
he wasn't good. Audre Guestimy was okay as rookie, struggled
with fumbles, but we just didn't really have any sort
(08:34):
of home run hre or we didn't have a consistent
rushing attack. And it's funny. Every once in a while,
I will fixate on a player that I want the
Broncos to sign, and for months it was, oh, I
want us to sign JK. Dobbins when he's a free
age and I got my wish in the middle of June.
I was driving to my then fiance's house and we
signed him, and I rolled down the windows and I
let out a big WOU because I was just over
the moon, because I think JK. Dobbins is a lot
(08:56):
better than you think. But with the rushing attack, there's
a reason why we signed him. I think you're going
to see JK. Dobbins get the primary workload to open
up the season. I think the splits are going to
vary from week to week. Some weeks it might be
seventy thirty if Dobbins has the hot hand, might be
closer to fifty to fifty if if RJ. Harvey is
doing something and has the hot hand. But you know RJ.
(09:17):
Harvey needs to work on his pass protection, which is
something JK. Dobbins can do very well. But RJ. Harvey
is the more explosive player and probably has better footwork.
Just given that Dobbins is a veteran and he has
you know, been in the NFL since I think twenty twenty,
even despite the injuries, he's going to get the primary
RB one looks if you will. It's not going to
(09:39):
be a belcow situation like the Eagles have with with
Saquon He's not going to carry the ball twenty five
times a game. However, you are going to see the
running back room look like Dobbins and then Harvey. Then
as the season goes on, as you know Sean Payton
loves to use those committee approaches, You're going to see
Dobbins and Harvey, not Dobbins and then Harvey, and then
(09:59):
after Harvey you're probably gonna see Julia McLaughlin sprinkled in there,
and because he's kind of our scat back, change of
pace back. But I could argue that both Dobbins and
Harvey are mountains, leaps and bounds better than anything that
we've had really since the days of Melvin Gordon and
Philip Lindsay about five years ago. I am cautiously optimistic JK.
(10:21):
Dobbins is a very efficient runner.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
R J.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Harvey incredible for work and very explosive, so he's going
to hit some home runs overall. You know, I can't
say that we're gonna have a top run game in
the NFL, but we have the blocking scheme and now
we have the running back talent. So I am much
higher on this room than I was last year.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Well, folks, we're going to be taking a break in
just a bit here. But first off, again we're talking
to Lou Scataglia from Predominantly Orange and Buddy, let everybody
know where they can find you on the interwebs out there,
I know, Predominantlyorrange dot com. That's the site. And again,
you do a fantastic job. But if people want to
follow you out there, sure, let everybody know where they
(11:00):
can where they can follow you.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Sure. So my ex Twitter handle was just loose Scattaglia PO,
so just my first and last name, Capital P Capital Oh.
I post a lot on there. I also run predominantly
Orange is Twitter and Facebook, so I actually do most
of my posting through predominantly Orange, trying to build up
our social media presence, but occasionally I will sprinkle in
some of my football takes on Twitter as well.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Nice. All right, sounds good. And if you are watching
on YouTube, this is our social media site platform here.
We are on Instagram. We're also over on Twitter, slash x.
You can follow me on TikTok at mister Jeff Warren.
I got some sports stuff that I'm talking about there,
as well as some other stuff as well. For longtime
listeners you know what I'm talking about. We've also got
(11:45):
our Facebook page. We're on threads. Eric and I are
on Blue Sky as well, and just search out the
Philadelphia Sports Table. You can always head on over to
Philadelphia Sports Table dot com and check out everything we
have going on there. We'd love to hear from you
as well, Philadelphia Sports Table at gmail dot com. If
you'd like us to talk about any particular issue in
(12:06):
the world of Philly sports or the sports world in general,
we'd love to hear from you. Shoot us off an email.
We'll read it on our regular show and respond to it.
So that being said, folks, we are going to take
a quick break and we come back some more offensive talk,
some defensive talk as it pertains to this Broncos team
and what we're going to be seeing this season. We'll
be back in just a bit. All right, folks, we
(12:29):
are back with our good friend Lou Scataglia from Predominantly
Orange Predominantly Orange dot com. Check out everything they've gone
on over there, and I want to continue with our
discussion here Lou about this Broncos offense here, but from
a receiving standpoint here. Look, we know that Courtland Sutton
(12:50):
was just given a new four year deal that's going
to keep him around for the next few years. In fact,
he took a very very team friendly deal probably gosh, yeah,
it was a really team friendly look right for him. Yes,
Marvin Mims Junior, you mentioned him earlier, his development. He's
going to be catching passes for this team this season.
But I'm wondering what the other receivers on this team
(13:11):
as well are going to be doing in terms of
that chemistry. Bo Nix is going to need to develop
that chemistry with a lot of these other receivers on
this team. It's going to be a work in progress.
What are your thoughts on this particular storyline.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Yeah, obviously we play the Eagles, I think what week
six something like that. I would definitely know the name
Devon Velay. He is our number two right now. Not
Marvin Mims. I so badly want Marvin Mims to take
that stride, as I think Sean Payton drafted him with
the idea that he could become his next Brandon Cooks,
who I have an odd affinity for. Okay, I think
(13:47):
Brandon Cooks was criminally underrated. But anyway, Devon Velay is
probably going to be that second option at wide receiver,
and then after that, you're probably looking at Evan Ingram,
who averages I think over seventy catches over a seventeen
game season. Evan Ingram is going to catch a ton
of passes. I promise you that. Yeah, he's He's that
that that big slot receiver that Sean Payton has has
(14:08):
has always loved, you know, Marvin Mims. I read a
blurb a couple of days ago that that he was
getting a lot of work and his route tree was
looking a lot better, which is really encouraging because as
we saw last year, Marvin Mims was a very explosive player,
but it was kind of like like a boom er
bust type of thing. He had all of those deep touchdowns,
he also caught passes out of the backfield as an
(14:30):
extension of our terrible run game, just because that was
out of necessity. Another name to keep in mind is
Troy Franklin, who was teammates with Bonix at Oregon. He
has had a wonderful training camp thus far. He's also fast.
He's also six foot two, and he also put on
about five pounds this year, so he's a lot closer
to maybe one seventy five point eight than he was
his rookie season. Kind of same size as Devonte Smith almost.
(14:53):
He's obviously not the receiver that DeVante Smith is, but
Troy Franklin is another one who could take a step forward.
But if you're looking for more of a pecking order,
Sutton is going to get the top targets because he's
our top guy. Devon Valley is then going to get
a ton of looks. Evan Ingram is going to get
a ton of passes thrown his way, and then after that,
it really could be an an even division of Mims
(15:14):
rookie Pat Bryant, who also has some size and some
good route running ability on he brings to the table,
and Troy Franklin. If nothing else, I know that the
Broncos don't have a home run hitter with their receiving
and tight end options, but they have a ton of
players who at any point in time could go off
and have a big day. And I think that's going
(15:34):
to be really tough for opposing defenses is if you
want to run like four wide receiver sets, you're gonna
have Sutton, Mims, Vley Franklin on the field. And then
if you can squeeze inn Ingram on the field. I
mean those are like, that's five players that the defense
has to take note of teaching every one of them
has the ability to crack open a big play, all
(15:55):
all in all in different ways. So Sean Payton, He's
obviously had top guys like Marcus Colston and Jimmy Graham
and Michael Thomas, but the twenty twenty five Broncos are
just going to feature a ton of players that you're
going to have to take note of. It's going to
put a big strain on opposing secondaries and linebackers in coverage.
(16:15):
So that could be something that former Broncos had Coach
Vic Fangia is going to have to really take note
of when the game planning starts for when we play.
But it's definitely going to be Sutton Vley Ingram and
then I think everybody else.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I can't wait to see the development of this receiving
corps and how bo Nicks really is able to hone
in on that chemistry as well. It's gonna be really
phenomenal to see. So let's flip the coin over here,
move over to the defense.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Low.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Look, I think they're going to be a top five
defense in the league for sure this coming season. From
Patrick Certan to Zach Allen and DJ Jones on the
defensive line here, I think this unit is really positioned
to be an attack type of defense for sure. Man,
they're gonna be getting a lot of quarterbacks out of
the pocket, and you know, what does the secondary do
(17:08):
the linebacker corps do when that does happen. I know
it's a general question, but what are some of the
key aspects of this defense that we really need to
keep our eyes on as this season is getting ready
to start.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Sure, vance Joseph loves to blitz. He blitzed at one
of the highest rates in the NFL last year and
it worked. We had sixty three sacks, which was nine
more than the second place scene, which was Baltimore. We
had I think almost one hundred tackles for loss and
just an insane amount of quarterback hits. Zach Allen had
forty quarterback hits, and I'm surprised it's not talk that
talked about more. Forty quarterback hits is something that you
(17:41):
just don't see. But you're returning almost the same front
seven as last year. Say for Cody Barton is out,
Drey green Law is in, which is pretty scary for
opposing offenses because it's Dray Greenlaw. I know the injury
concern is there, but I don't need to tell you
or tell your listeners why Dre Greenlaw is so good.
We also added on the back end Talanoa Hufonga to
(18:04):
replace PJ. Locke, who was starting for US last year.
Teleanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones arguably might be the best
safety due in the NFL, and then obviously Jade Bear
in the twenty twenty five NFL draft. This offseason on
the defense was honestly just making the strength even better,
which is kind of scary because we were third in
points allowed. I think we were third best in run defense.
(18:27):
I know our pass defense kind of tapered off towards
the end once Riley Moss hurt his knee, but again,
you look at this defense on paper, Jeff, I don't
see a weakness. Pass rush duo best pass rush duo
last year, Nick Benito, Jonathan Cooper. The outside linebackers, I
think most combined sacks out of any outside linebacker duo.
Strong defensive line returning again Zach Allen, DJ Jones, John
(18:47):
Franklin Myers. Then you have an improved linebacking room with
Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton. I would like us to
add maybe former Eagle Kaisier White who's still on the
open market. Yeah, I think we need more help there,
but anyway, it's still it's still a really good unit.
And then somehow improving the secondary with Kufonga and Baron
already pairing up with Brandon Jones who's under a Patricks
(19:08):
or Tan who needs no introduction, Riley Moss, who was
a very solid starter last year, and then Jakwan macmillan,
who might see his job taken by Baron. But all
in all, Denver made the strength even more of a strength,
which is a very smart idea if you want to
be a contender. I don't see a weakness on the
defensive side of the ball. Late in the season, things
(19:31):
kind of got shaky, especially with the pass defense. But
you know, if it's a mostly healthy unit, I think
it could be best in the NFL. No worse than
top three. I mean, shoot, like, what can't they do?
We can cover, we can get to the quarterback. I mean,
and we were really good when Van s Joseph wants
to blit. So it's going to be a scary unit.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Ye, Lou, I can't wait to see what the pass
defense is going to be. I mean, I mean Week
six when they take on the Eagles. I mean, I'm
not looking forward to that at all, to be honest
with you. But pass defense with the secondary, the safety position,
the cornerback position, I mean, it is solid in that division.
It is going to be tough for those teams in
that division to be able to throw on the Denver Broncos,
(20:13):
especially downfield, those big explosive plays. So, Buddy, before I
let you go, we've been talking about this on our
Opposition Territory podcast recently, just talking about biggest concerns and
what you're least concerned about in terms of the team
heading into this season. So let's start off with the
biggest concern that you have for this Broncos team heading
(20:36):
into this season, then we'll get to what you're least
concerned about. So take it away, buddy.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Sure. I think my biggest Scot serve would honestly probably
be the line backing room, just because Dray Greenlaw and
Alex Singleton can be a very good duo, but Singleton
is on the wrong side of thirty and coming off
of a torn ACL Dray green Law is very good,
he's elite in some respects, but he has a lengthy
injury history. So I'm worried that if one of those
guys needs to miss time that it's going to throw
off the whole defense because they're the middle of the defense.
(21:01):
They're the glue that holds everything together, and you're obviously,
as a fan, worried about catastrophic injuries that unfortunately happen.
We've been one of the healthiest teams in the NFL
since Sean Payton took over, But and I guess on
the offensive side of the ball, my biggest concern would
be maybe since the tape is out in bo Nicks,
maybe that catches up to him and he regresses a
(21:22):
little bit. We just saw CJ. Stroud indoor a sophomore slump.
I don't think it'll happen, but you have to leave
the door open until it doesn't happen. So I guess
I would say a potential for a regression from the
quarterback and the offense and then really just the linebacking
room on the defensive side of the ball. I'm just
really worried that those guys aren't going to stay on
the field for a majority of the season, and if
that's the case, the entire defense is going to suffer. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Well, let's talk about what you are least concerned about
with regard to this Broncos team, because again, they're a
developing team. They are a team that's got a lot
of weapons as well. What are you at least concerned about, buddy.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Yeah, I'm least concerned about the coaching. Obviously, this is
in a coaching staff. They know how to develop players,
they know how to put players maximize what they do.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Well.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
I'm least concerned about the trench play. Arguably best offensive
line in the NFL right now, returning all five starters.
Same thing on the defensive side of the ball, I'm
just not really concerned about the past rush, the past defense,
I'm not at all concerned about either. And even the
special teams. We actually quietly overhauled our special teams. We
brought in Darren Rizzy, who's a very good coordinator. We
(22:26):
also replaced Riley Dixon with Jeremy Crosshaw out of the
NFL Draft, who has been booming punts and training camp.
So I'm actually like not at all concerned about the
special teams as well. So I would say generally trench play,
pass defense, and special teams and coaching, I just have
virtually no concerns about any of those units either, folks.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
He is Luskataglia from predominantly Orange dot com, great fan
sided site, and lou Buddy, it was great talking to
you for the first time here. Loved having you on
the show here on our Opposition Territory pod. Come back
join us down the road. I'd love to have you
back on the show.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
All rights. Yep, thank you, Jeff. It was fun.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
That's going to do it for us here on Opposition
Territory this week. Please share our podcast with your friends
and family members who are Philly sports fans or sports
fans in general. We thank you our listeners for being
part of this online community with us and within this space.
Make sure to check out our website, Philadelphia Sportstable dot
com for all of our podcasts, and follow us on
(23:26):
our social sites. You can follow the show on Twitter
at Philadelphia PST, on threads at Philadelphia Sports Table, and
over on Instagram as well at Philadelphia Sports Table. Take care,
we will catch you next time.
Welcome to Opposition Territory here at the Philadelphia Sports Table
podcast show, the longest running weekly Philly sports podcast show
in the world, twelve years strong. We got a great
discussion coming your way here on Opposition Territory. This week,
we are diving into a team that I'm really looking
forward to talking about, looking forward to seeing what they
do this upcoming NFL season, the Denver Broncos. And we've
(00:46):
got with us from predominantly Orange. You know, we love
our fans sided sites here at the PST podcast show,
Louis Gatanglia. Man, buddy, it's great to have you on
for the first time. Thanks so much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Thank you, Jeff. I will never ever pass up a
time to talk about my beloved Bronc Ghosts, especially after
all the suffering I went through.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Dude, You've been for some suffering with this team over
the years. My gosh. But look, I think this is
a team that is on the rise here. You know,
I've been saying for a number of weeks now on
this podcast platform that I think the Denver Broncos could
be that quote sneaky team that's going to surprise the
football world this coming NFL season. Even though they made
(01:29):
the playoffs last year. I think this is a team
that can really surpass what they achieved last year. But
to do that, we got to take a look at
how this team has grown over the past year, some
of the talent that they've added on offense and defense.
They had a really nice draft, I thought, in my opinion. Here,
so let's kind of get into some reflections on this
(01:49):
offseason before we start talking about what we'll see this
upcoming season. Here, lou, do you think the Broncos can
and will shock some folks this coming season? How and why?
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yeah? So, I think the NFL world was definitely underrating
us last year. You could pull up roster power rankings.
We're a thirty first and thirty second, and I remember
last year. It was a distinct time. Last offseason I
looked at this roster and I said, this roster is
really good. Yeah, and I kind of likened it to
what Houston did in twenty twenty three. Now, I wasn't
(02:22):
like over the moon high on the Broncos. My personal
prediction was we'd go nine to eight, miss the playoffs.
But I knew we would be better than people thought
because we were strong of the trenches, which is extremely important.
And we had a quarterback that Sean Payton won. And
the three most important things for a winning NFL team
is the quarterback, Yeah, protecting the quarterback and getting to
the quarterback. And I'm like, well, we have all three
(02:44):
of those things. So we were better than people thought.
And every year in the NFL there's usually one or
two teams that kind of surprises. A couple of years ago,
remember it was the Jags and Giants making those playoff runs,
and then it was Houston, and then it was US
in Washington. But you look get where Sean Payton has
invested since he's been here the trenches. You look at
(03:04):
some of the draft picks panning out like Mimes and
Benito and bo Immediately. This was a team that kind
of arrived onto the scene maybe a year early. And
the large, the large NFL opinion of the Broncos last
year was just way too low and it was kind
of wrong. Now all of a sudden, after a good year,
(03:26):
you know, everyone's speaking highly about the Broncos. They have
the sixth Beth roster. Bo Nix is going to make
a leap. This is just kind of like people course
correcting and realizing, oh crap, the Broncos are actually better
than we think. But I look at the roster, I
don't see a notable weakness, and I also see a
quarterback on the rise. So I'm again cautiously optimistic. I'm
(03:47):
not ready to say that we're going to make the
super Bowl, but making a playoff run, winning a game
or two is absolutely on the table.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Yeah. I think that is a great way to analyze
the hopes the thought process of Broncos fans and even
NFL fans looking at this team heading into this season.
But you mentioned bo Knicks, and we have to talk
about him, talk about his development and his growth and
how he is going to progress this year under center.
(04:14):
I mean, I think one of the aspects of his game,
and I think it's a pretty big one, Lou, that
he really is going to need to improve on from
last year is his drop back abilities in the passing
game and also his intermediate throws. I mean, they were
often inconsistent too, and we are seeing that with certain
quarterbacks in the NFL, younger quarterbacks every now and again. Overall,
(04:35):
I mean, he was a really good quarterback last season.
In my opinion, I think he's poised to really take
those and make those developmental next step. So what are
you hoping to see from bow Knicks this season in
terms of that particular growth.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Yeah, So I think as the season went on last year,
he got a lot more comfortable in the pocket. In
the beginning of the year, his footwork was like sausa dancing.
He was dreadful in the pocket, but he was also
so good at avoiding sacks that it was kind of
like a double edged sword. But as the season went on,
he got a lot more comfortable in the pocket. The
drop back game really came to him. So next year
is really just kind of what you just said is
(05:09):
he needs to pick up where he left off at
the end of twenty twenty four. Become more comfortable in
the pocket, you know, get rid of the ball when
he needs to, don't hold onto the ball for too long,
don't run into pressure like Russell Wilson did for so long. Yes,
the accuracy and the intermediate passing game is going to come,
because that's kind of what Sean Payton's offense is built on, rhythm, timing,
(05:31):
intermediate passing. Obviously, a lot of those slant routes curl routes,
a lot of those short routes to get the ball
into the hands of the playmakers early. And then it's
really also about the running game. And I think we're
going to talk about here in a second, but for
Bo Nicks, it's really just like watching that tape from
like the final eight games of last he was just
on fire. He was actually on a believe it or not,
(05:52):
he was on a forty five touchdown pace over the
final eight games of twenty twenty four, which is ridiculous.
So it's really about watching that good tape. And Bo
even said, like the challenges are are the same, he's
just more you know, he's more seasoned. So it's about
attacking things now that he has a year under his belt,
focusing on the weaknesses. But there really isn't any reason
(06:14):
to believe why he can't make Elite because again, the
Broncos are stronger it matters than most. Yeah, and some
line is returning all five starters, and I know we're
going to talk about the weapons that he had it,
but it's really just about like like not messing up.
I mean, it's it's hard for me to envision that
the Broncos regress on offense just because of the linear
growth that we actually saw from Bow last year. So
(06:36):
I think we're going to see a way more complete
passing attack and that sort of first half of twenty
twenty four where he was kind of awful, I think
that's just that's gone and that's not the quarterback he
is anymore.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
It means he's coachable, quite frankly, and I think that's
that is something that's really important, I think for NFL fans.
And I know, you know, we really don't talk about
fantasy football too too much on this platform, but if
you're looking for a good fantasy quarterback in terms of development,
absolutely somebody who's coachable. That's Bo Nicks for sure. So
as we're moving along, you kind of teased, you know,
(07:09):
the rushing attack and what we may see from that
this season, Lou. I mean, I'm wondering what the Broncos
rushing attack is really going to look like right out
of the gate. It's something I'm going to be very
interested in following throughout this preseason. JK. Dobbins was brought in.
I love how they drafted RJ. Harvey out of UCF,
(07:30):
a fantastic running back in college, and look I don't
think a lot of folks realize that during JK. Dobbins's career, overall,
he's averaged five point two yards per carry. I think
that's like second in the league. I think at this point,
and last year the Broncos finished sixteenth in rushing. How
do you see this rushing attack really taking shape this
(07:51):
coming season?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Yeah? I think one hugely important thing to note right
off the bat is that the Broncos offensive line was
ranked number one in run blocking and pluck last year
according to ESPN, So the run game was really was
no fault of the offensive line. This run scheme. Zax
Streeve has done an outstanding job, and we're returning all
five starters from last year, which is really unheard of
(08:13):
in today's NFL. But yeah, I mean we had Javonte
Williams and Audrey Guestsaman and Julia McLoughlin as our primary backs.
Javonte Williams is an NFL player and I'm not, but
I mean he's stunk the past couple of years, Like
he wasn't good. Audre Guestimy was okay as rookie, struggled
with fumbles, but we just didn't really have any sort
(08:34):
of home run hre or we didn't have a consistent
rushing attack. And it's funny. Every once in a while,
I will fixate on a player that I want the
Broncos to sign, and for months it was, oh, I
want us to sign JK. Dobbins when he's a free
age and I got my wish in the middle of June.
I was driving to my then fiance's house and we
signed him, and I rolled down the windows and I
let out a big WOU because I was just over
the moon, because I think JK. Dobbins is a lot
(08:56):
better than you think. But with the rushing attack, there's
a reason why we signed him. I think you're going
to see JK. Dobbins get the primary workload to open
up the season. I think the splits are going to
vary from week to week. Some weeks it might be
seventy thirty if Dobbins has the hot hand, might be
closer to fifty to fifty if if RJ. Harvey is
doing something and has the hot hand. But you know RJ.
(09:17):
Harvey needs to work on his pass protection, which is
something JK. Dobbins can do very well. But RJ. Harvey
is the more explosive player and probably has better footwork.
Just given that Dobbins is a veteran and he has
you know, been in the NFL since I think twenty twenty,
even despite the injuries, he's going to get the primary
RB one looks if you will. It's not going to
(09:39):
be a belcow situation like the Eagles have with with
Saquon He's not going to carry the ball twenty five
times a game. However, you are going to see the
running back room look like Dobbins and then Harvey. Then
as the season goes on, as you know Sean Payton
loves to use those committee approaches, You're going to see
Dobbins and Harvey, not Dobbins and then Harvey, and then
(09:59):
after Harvey you're probably gonna see Julia McLaughlin sprinkled in there,
and because he's kind of our scat back, change of
pace back. But I could argue that both Dobbins and
Harvey are mountains, leaps and bounds better than anything that
we've had really since the days of Melvin Gordon and
Philip Lindsay about five years ago. I am cautiously optimistic JK.
(10:21):
Dobbins is a very efficient runner.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
R J.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Harvey incredible for work and very explosive, so he's going
to hit some home runs overall. You know, I can't
say that we're gonna have a top run game in
the NFL, but we have the blocking scheme and now
we have the running back talent. So I am much
higher on this room than I was last year.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Well, folks, we're going to be taking a break in
just a bit here. But first off, again we're talking
to Lou Scataglia from Predominantly Orange and Buddy, let everybody
know where they can find you on the interwebs out there,
I know, Predominantlyorrange dot com. That's the site. And again,
you do a fantastic job. But if people want to
follow you out there, sure, let everybody know where they
(11:00):
can where they can follow you.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Sure. So my ex Twitter handle was just loose Scattaglia PO,
so just my first and last name, Capital P Capital Oh.
I post a lot on there. I also run predominantly
Orange is Twitter and Facebook, so I actually do most
of my posting through predominantly Orange, trying to build up
our social media presence, but occasionally I will sprinkle in
some of my football takes on Twitter as well.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Nice. All right, sounds good. And if you are watching
on YouTube, this is our social media site platform here.
We are on Instagram. We're also over on Twitter, slash x.
You can follow me on TikTok at mister Jeff Warren.
I got some sports stuff that I'm talking about there,
as well as some other stuff as well. For longtime
listeners you know what I'm talking about. We've also got
(11:45):
our Facebook page. We're on threads. Eric and I are
on Blue Sky as well, and just search out the
Philadelphia Sports Table. You can always head on over to
Philadelphia Sports Table dot com and check out everything we
have going on there. We'd love to hear from you
as well, Philadelphia Sports Table at gmail dot com. If
you'd like us to talk about any particular issue in
(12:06):
the world of Philly sports or the sports world in general,
we'd love to hear from you. Shoot us off an email.
We'll read it on our regular show and respond to it.
So that being said, folks, we are going to take
a quick break and we come back some more offensive talk,
some defensive talk as it pertains to this Broncos team
and what we're going to be seeing this season. We'll
be back in just a bit. All right, folks, we
(12:29):
are back with our good friend Lou Scataglia from Predominantly
Orange Predominantly Orange dot com. Check out everything they've gone
on over there, and I want to continue with our
discussion here Lou about this Broncos offense here, but from
a receiving standpoint here. Look, we know that Courtland Sutton
(12:50):
was just given a new four year deal that's going
to keep him around for the next few years. In fact,
he took a very very team friendly deal probably gosh, yeah,
it was a really team friendly look right for him. Yes,
Marvin Mims Junior, you mentioned him earlier, his development. He's
going to be catching passes for this team this season.
But I'm wondering what the other receivers on this team
(13:11):
as well are going to be doing in terms of
that chemistry. Bo Nix is going to need to develop
that chemistry with a lot of these other receivers on
this team. It's going to be a work in progress.
What are your thoughts on this particular storyline.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Yeah, obviously we play the Eagles, I think what week
six something like that. I would definitely know the name
Devon Velay. He is our number two right now. Not
Marvin Mims. I so badly want Marvin Mims to take
that stride, as I think Sean Payton drafted him with
the idea that he could become his next Brandon Cooks,
who I have an odd affinity for. Okay, I think
(13:47):
Brandon Cooks was criminally underrated. But anyway, Devon Velay is
probably going to be that second option at wide receiver,
and then after that, you're probably looking at Evan Ingram,
who averages I think over seventy catches over a seventeen
game season. Evan Ingram is going to catch a ton
of passes. I promise you that. Yeah, he's He's that
that that big slot receiver that Sean Payton has has
(14:08):
has always loved, you know, Marvin Mims. I read a
blurb a couple of days ago that that he was
getting a lot of work and his route tree was
looking a lot better, which is really encouraging because as
we saw last year, Marvin Mims was a very explosive player,
but it was kind of like like a boom er
bust type of thing. He had all of those deep touchdowns,
he also caught passes out of the backfield as an
(14:30):
extension of our terrible run game, just because that was
out of necessity. Another name to keep in mind is
Troy Franklin, who was teammates with Bonix at Oregon. He
has had a wonderful training camp thus far. He's also fast.
He's also six foot two, and he also put on
about five pounds this year, so he's a lot closer
to maybe one seventy five point eight than he was
his rookie season. Kind of same size as Devonte Smith almost.
(14:53):
He's obviously not the receiver that DeVante Smith is, but
Troy Franklin is another one who could take a step forward.
But if you're looking for more of a pecking order,
Sutton is going to get the top targets because he's
our top guy. Devon Valley is then going to get
a ton of looks. Evan Ingram is going to get
a ton of passes thrown his way, and then after that,
it really could be an an even division of Mims
(15:14):
rookie Pat Bryant, who also has some size and some
good route running ability on he brings to the table,
and Troy Franklin. If nothing else, I know that the
Broncos don't have a home run hitter with their receiving
and tight end options, but they have a ton of
players who at any point in time could go off
and have a big day. And I think that's going
(15:34):
to be really tough for opposing defenses is if you
want to run like four wide receiver sets, you're gonna
have Sutton, Mims, Vley Franklin on the field. And then
if you can squeeze inn Ingram on the field. I
mean those are like, that's five players that the defense
has to take note of teaching every one of them
has the ability to crack open a big play, all
(15:55):
all in all in different ways. So Sean Payton, He's
obviously had top guys like Marcus Colston and Jimmy Graham
and Michael Thomas, but the twenty twenty five Broncos are
just going to feature a ton of players that you're
going to have to take note of. It's going to
put a big strain on opposing secondaries and linebackers in coverage.
(16:15):
So that could be something that former Broncos had Coach
Vic Fangia is going to have to really take note
of when the game planning starts for when we play.
But it's definitely going to be Sutton Vley Ingram and
then I think everybody else.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I can't wait to see the development of this receiving
corps and how bo Nicks really is able to hone
in on that chemistry as well. It's gonna be really
phenomenal to see. So let's flip the coin over here,
move over to the defense.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Low.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Look, I think they're going to be a top five
defense in the league for sure this coming season. From
Patrick Certan to Zach Allen and DJ Jones on the
defensive line here, I think this unit is really positioned
to be an attack type of defense for sure. Man,
they're gonna be getting a lot of quarterbacks out of
the pocket, and you know, what does the secondary do
(17:08):
the linebacker corps do when that does happen. I know
it's a general question, but what are some of the
key aspects of this defense that we really need to
keep our eyes on as this season is getting ready
to start.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Sure, vance Joseph loves to blitz. He blitzed at one
of the highest rates in the NFL last year and
it worked. We had sixty three sacks, which was nine
more than the second place scene, which was Baltimore. We
had I think almost one hundred tackles for loss and
just an insane amount of quarterback hits. Zach Allen had
forty quarterback hits, and I'm surprised it's not talk that
talked about more. Forty quarterback hits is something that you
(17:41):
just don't see. But you're returning almost the same front
seven as last year. Say for Cody Barton is out,
Drey green Law is in, which is pretty scary for
opposing offenses because it's Dray Greenlaw. I know the injury
concern is there, but I don't need to tell you
or tell your listeners why Dre Greenlaw is so good.
We also added on the back end Talanoa Hufonga to
(18:04):
replace PJ. Locke, who was starting for US last year.
Teleanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones arguably might be the best
safety due in the NFL, and then obviously Jade Bear
in the twenty twenty five NFL draft. This offseason on
the defense was honestly just making the strength even better,
which is kind of scary because we were third in
points allowed. I think we were third best in run defense.
(18:27):
I know our pass defense kind of tapered off towards
the end once Riley Moss hurt his knee, but again,
you look at this defense on paper, Jeff, I don't
see a weakness. Pass rush duo best pass rush duo
last year, Nick Benito, Jonathan Cooper. The outside linebackers, I
think most combined sacks out of any outside linebacker duo.
Strong defensive line returning again Zach Allen, DJ Jones, John
(18:47):
Franklin Myers. Then you have an improved linebacking room with
Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton. I would like us to
add maybe former Eagle Kaisier White who's still on the
open market. Yeah, I think we need more help there,
but anyway, it's still it's still a really good unit.
And then somehow improving the secondary with Kufonga and Baron
already pairing up with Brandon Jones who's under a Patricks
(19:08):
or Tan who needs no introduction, Riley Moss, who was
a very solid starter last year, and then Jakwan macmillan,
who might see his job taken by Baron. But all
in all, Denver made the strength even more of a strength,
which is a very smart idea if you want to
be a contender. I don't see a weakness on the
defensive side of the ball. Late in the season, things
(19:31):
kind of got shaky, especially with the pass defense. But
you know, if it's a mostly healthy unit, I think
it could be best in the NFL. No worse than
top three. I mean, shoot, like, what can't they do?
We can cover, we can get to the quarterback. I mean,
and we were really good when Van s Joseph wants
to blit. So it's going to be a scary unit.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Ye, Lou, I can't wait to see what the pass
defense is going to be. I mean, I mean Week
six when they take on the Eagles. I mean, I'm
not looking forward to that at all, to be honest
with you. But pass defense with the secondary, the safety position,
the cornerback position, I mean, it is solid in that division.
It is going to be tough for those teams in
that division to be able to throw on the Denver Broncos,
(20:13):
especially downfield, those big explosive plays. So, Buddy, before I
let you go, we've been talking about this on our
Opposition Territory podcast recently, just talking about biggest concerns and
what you're least concerned about in terms of the team
heading into this season. So let's start off with the
biggest concern that you have for this Broncos team heading
(20:36):
into this season, then we'll get to what you're least
concerned about. So take it away, buddy.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Sure. I think my biggest Scot serve would honestly probably
be the line backing room, just because Dray Greenlaw and
Alex Singleton can be a very good duo, but Singleton
is on the wrong side of thirty and coming off
of a torn ACL Dray green Law is very good,
he's elite in some respects, but he has a lengthy
injury history. So I'm worried that if one of those
guys needs to miss time that it's going to throw
off the whole defense because they're the middle of the defense.
(21:01):
They're the glue that holds everything together, and you're obviously,
as a fan, worried about catastrophic injuries that unfortunately happen.
We've been one of the healthiest teams in the NFL
since Sean Payton took over, But and I guess on
the offensive side of the ball, my biggest concern would
be maybe since the tape is out in bo Nicks,
maybe that catches up to him and he regresses a
(21:22):
little bit. We just saw CJ. Stroud indoor a sophomore slump.
I don't think it'll happen, but you have to leave
the door open until it doesn't happen. So I guess
I would say a potential for a regression from the
quarterback and the offense and then really just the linebacking
room on the defensive side of the ball. I'm just
really worried that those guys aren't going to stay on
the field for a majority of the season, and if
that's the case, the entire defense is going to suffer. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Well, let's talk about what you are least concerned about
with regard to this Broncos team, because again, they're a
developing team. They are a team that's got a lot
of weapons as well. What are you at least concerned about, buddy.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
Yeah, I'm least concerned about the coaching. Obviously, this is
in a coaching staff. They know how to develop players,
they know how to put players maximize what they do.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Well.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
I'm least concerned about the trench play. Arguably best offensive
line in the NFL right now, returning all five starters.
Same thing on the defensive side of the ball, I'm
just not really concerned about the past rush, the past defense,
I'm not at all concerned about either. And even the
special teams. We actually quietly overhauled our special teams. We
brought in Darren Rizzy, who's a very good coordinator. We
(22:26):
also replaced Riley Dixon with Jeremy Crosshaw out of the
NFL Draft, who has been booming punts and training camp.
So I'm actually like not at all concerned about the
special teams as well. So I would say generally trench play,
pass defense, and special teams and coaching, I just have
virtually no concerns about any of those units either, folks.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
He is Luskataglia from predominantly Orange dot com, great fan
sided site, and lou Buddy, it was great talking to
you for the first time here. Loved having you on
the show here on our Opposition Territory pod. Come back
join us down the road. I'd love to have you
back on the show.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
All rights. Yep, thank you, Jeff. It was fun.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
That's going to do it for us here on Opposition
Territory this week. Please share our podcast with your friends
and family members who are Philly sports fans or sports
fans in general. We thank you our listeners for being
part of this online community with us and within this space.
Make sure to check out our website, Philadelphia Sportstable dot
com for all of our podcasts, and follow us on
(23:26):
our social sites. You can follow the show on Twitter
at Philadelphia PST, on threads at Philadelphia Sports Table, and
over on Instagram as well at Philadelphia Sports Table. Take care,
we will catch you next time.
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